1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus, and more particularly, to an image forming apparatus capable of forming a color image in accordance with color image data and forming a monochromatic image in accordance with monochromatic image data.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a known image forming apparatus, such as a color multifunction machine, color images are formed in accordance with color image data, and monochromatic images in accordance with monochromatic image data.
In this color multifunction machine, a page memory is stored with image data obtained by processing image data on an original document read by means of a scanner section or image data transmitted from a computer apparatus such as a personal computer (PC) that is connected by way of an interface. Thereafter, in the color multifunction machine, the image data are subjected to image processing, such as gradation, smoothing, etc., by means of an image processor mounted in a print engine section for printing, and an image is formed and printed in accordance with the image data. The image processing of the image data by means of the image processor in the engine section is carried out in common without regard to the type of the image data transmitted from the page memory, color or monochromatic.
Thus, the image processor subjects the color image data and the monochromatic image data to image processing without discrimination, so that the color and monochromatic images cannot enjoy their proper image processing.
Accordingly, there is a need for an image forming apparatus that can process image data according to the type of the image data in order to print images by means of the print engine section.